Advertising and content management systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A method for advertising management is disclosed in which a new pricing methodology is employed whereby advertising and content categorized may be overridden by an advertiser desiring to pay a premium. The method involves an advertiser, desiring to override a scheduled advertisement, contacting a network provider and replacing the scheduled advertisement if a series of checkpoints are satisfied. The method further includes making replacement decisions based upon marketing tools such as programming ratings collection and analysis systems. A system for replacing a scheduled advertisement using an interactive server operable for managing advertisements, receiving and responding to requests, storing data, and inserting advertisements into a schedule based on the new pricing methodology is also disclosed.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent andTrademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of advertising, andmore specifically, to advertising management systems and methods inwhich a new pricing methodology is employed whereby advertising andcontent categorized as override may be overridden by an advertiserdesiring to pay a premium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Advertisements, also referred to as commercials, are played in betweensubject portions of a television or radio program, and are the primarysource of revenue for television and radio networks. Typically ten toninety seconds in length, advertisements are grouped together aspre-selected breaks in the broadcast of a program, typically occurringfrom every few to every fifteen minutes of programming. The number ofadvertisements and the timing between the placement of theadvertisements is dependent on the type of program (e.g., sportingevent, sitcom, news program, or movie) and the format of the program(e.g., live or pre-recorded). Television and radio programming, forexample, typically include approximately sixteen minutes ofadvertisements during every hour of programming. Many advertisers usethis time as their primary avenue for promoting products, services, andevents to consumers.

Advertising rates are generally based on the time slot, popularity of aprogram, and length of the advertisement. A higher rate is charged for aprogram with a large audience, due to the theory that more viewers, orlisteners, will result in more potential customers receiving theadvertisement, which is likely to result in more revenue generated foran advertiser. During the Super Bowl™, for example, a thirty second timespot may cost in the millions of dollars.

Advertisements are not limited to radio and television. In the age ofcomputers, some form of advertisement is displayed on virtually everyweb-page. Conventional Internet advertising may also be in the form of“pop-up” windows, which are programmed to “pop-up” in their own separatewindow when a certain web-site is triggered, or opened. Many Internetservice providers and search-engine companies are able to offer freeservices to consumers because of the large amounts of advertisingdollars that they receive from advertisers. Like television and radio,the more popular a particular web-site is, the more that it is accessedby consumers, and the more the owner may charge for advertising space.

Advertising is generally more effective when products and services reachconsumers that have an interest in the particular product or service.This is referred to as “targeted advertising,” in which an advertiseridentifies a group of people as being those that are likely to purchasewhat is being advertised, and providing the most favorable situation inwhich the advertisement will reach that pre-determined group ofconsumers. As an example, it is generally known that a lot of men likesports. It is also generally known that a lot of men drink beer.Therefore, it makes economic sense for an advertiser to run a beeradvertisement during sporting events, when it is more likely that menwill be watching television. As stated above, advertisement time duringthe Super Bowl™ is very expensive, and although very expensive, it iscommon to see a large number of beer commercials during the Super Bowl™.This is normally because advertisers feel that the large premiums paidfor time slots during the game will be made-up for by the amount ofrevenue that the commercial will generate for the company through beersales.

In determining whether a program, or web-page, may be appropriate for aparticular advertisement, advertisers typically consider whether theprogram attracts large numbers of viewers who are of the same age group,gender, income bracket, and who have similar interests and hobbies withthose who are most likely to purchase the product being advertised.Selecting an advertisement and advertising slot in this manner,increases the likelihood that viewers who watch the advertisement willbe interested viewers.

Broadcasting networks and advertisers are able to gauge whichdemographic groups are watching which programs using conventional marketresearch tools. For example, the AC Nielsen™ ratings system trackstelevision viewing activities by sampling a plurality of households, andestimating the number of viewers of particular programs using theviewing activity data. Advertisers also use market research companieswhich conduct focus groups that study the effectiveness of differenttypes of television advertisements. These market research tools assistadvertisers in creating advertisements, and selecting appropriate timeslots in which to run them. To help ensure that viewers watch aparticular advertisement, advertisers use techniques that help to grab aviewers attention, such as visual stimulus, catchy slogans, and jingles.

To gauge the effectiveness of their spending, advertisers have longsought information related to potential consumer viewing patterns. Thereare several conventional devices and techniques that exist for gatheringsuch information. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,386 issued to Cheungdiscloses “an apparatus for television audience analysis comprisingmeans for monitoring a television receiver, means responsive to amonitored signal for storing information representative of channelidentification and of the time at which a channel is selected and atwhich the selection of a channel is terminated, and means for readingthe stored information periodically.”

As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,030 issued to Nickerson, et al.,discloses “a data storage and transmission system for accumulating andtransmitting data from a plurality of remote T.V. panelist locations toa central location. Each remote unit includes a microprocessor, acontrol memory, and a data store memory. The control memory storescontrol information for the remote unit, which may include dynamicallocation information. The data store memory is event driven and storesdata as to television channel selection and times thereof, and can storeviewer reaction data and the like. At a pre-selected time, each remoteunit initiates a telephone call to a central location and identifiesitself. Upon successful telephone connection between a remote unit andthe central location, any data such as viewer habit and/or reaction dataand the like contained in the data store memory is transmitted over thetelephone line to the central location.”

Other conventional systems and methods provide somewhat more use datathan only channel numbers viewed and the time of viewing, such as whichproducts panelists purchase. U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,904 issued to McKenna,et al., discloses “a data gathering system including a plurality ofremote units which are controlled from a central location. Each of theremote units are attached to a television receiver which is generally,but not necessarily, attached to a cable system. Each of the remoteunits may function to determine which of several TV modes is in use aswell as to store TV channel selector data, data from an optical inputdevice, and/or data input by viewers representative of the compositionof the viewing audience. The data is stored for either later collectionby a portable data collector, or for direct transmission via telephoneto the central location. A video message for a TV viewer, such as asurvey, may be transmitted from the central location and stored at theremote units, for later display on the TV receiver associated with theremote units. The substitution of alternate programming information mayalso be achieved by the central control point on selected of the remoteunits.”

Conventionally, panelist monitoring may be used to gauge theeffectiveness of advertising on a selected group of panelists.Nevertheless, while panelist monitoring systems like those describedabove provide somewhat more monitoring data than just TV tuning data,they do so only for limited groups. For example, when more data isgathered (like purchase information), it is done only for the panelistgroups, rather than for subscribers of the entire system.

Conventional systems typically capture ratings information thatidentifies which television shows are viewed, rather than whether thesubscriber also viewed the commercials displayed during those shows.What is important to an advertiser is that potential consumers areinterested in an advertisement enough to sit through its duration. Thereis a great deal of money invested in advertising, with the hopes that itwill return even greater profits.

Conventional advertising management systems comprise what is generallyreferred to as a “locked” advertisement delivery system. In thisconventional system, time slots are pre-purchased by advertisers. Therates for these time slots are based upon the demand for the particulartime slot, as described above. When time slots are purchased, they aregrouped together and run as a commercial break during a program, also asdescribed above. When a time slot is purchased, it is no longeravailable to a second advertiser that may be interested in purchasingthe same time slot, but who did not purchase it first. Conventionaladvertising management systems are basically first-come-first-serve.There may be bidding for a particular slot, but once a rate is agreed toby the advertising slot provider, that time slot is set.

Conventional advertising methods include several drawbacks, such asexcluding potential consumers, and including viewers that have no desireto purchase the product or service. Advertisers must continuouslyevaluate advertising mediums and time slots. When selecting time slots,advertisers take into account which times of the day they are mostlikely to find large volumes of viewers, whether or not those viewersare of a desired demographic, and which programs are most appropriate toplace advertisements into.

What is needed are novel systems and methods that result in moreeffectively spent advertising dollars for advertisers, which results inincreased profit margins for the advertisers and also for network mediaproviders. What is needed are novel systems and methods which result inflexibility and options for advertisers in selecting advertising timeslots.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a pricingmethodology whereby scheduled advertising content broadcast to potentialconsumers may be overridden and replaced by advertising content from anadvertiser paying a premium. The method includes a first advertiseroccupying an advertisement time slot with a first advertisement,categorizing the first advertisement as an overrideable advertisement ora non-overrideable advertisement, receiving a request from a secondadvertiser to replace the first advertisement with a secondadvertisement, and if it is determined that the first advertisement iscategorized as an appropriate override advertisement, replacing thefirst advertisement with the second advertisement. The secondadvertisement is then broadcast to consumers in place of the firstadvertisement. Advertisements are broadcast to potential consumers via abroadcast transmission, wherein the broadcast transmission may include atelevision broadcast, a radio broadcast, and a broadcast sent over theInternet and received on a personal computer.

Various pricing structures may be employed. In one embodiment, themethod further involves pricing an overrideable advertisement at a lowerprice than a non-overrideable advertisement, and wherein a premium ispaid to replace the first advertisement with the second advertisement.

A request to replace the first advertisement with the secondadvertisement may be based upon data obtained using marketing tools andprogramming ratings collection and analysis systems to identifymost-valuable and least-valuable viewers. The ratings collection andanalysis systems may track program viewing activities by sampling aplurality of households and estimating the number of viewers of theprograms using viewing activity data, focus groups that study theeffectiveness of different types advertisements, and product salesreports.

In an alternative embodiment, the advertisement management methodfurther includes receiving requests, and processing, storing, managing,and inserting advertisements using an interactive server. Theinteractive server compares the second and/or first advertisement with aplurality of pre-determined criteria, and if the advertisement meets apre-selected number of the plurality of criteria, the interactive servermay replace the first advertisement with the second advertisement.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a system formanaging advertisement programming including a first advertisementprovided by a first advertiser, a second advertisement provided by asecond advertiser, and an interactive server of a network contentprovider, wherein the interactive server is operable for replacing thefirst advertisement with the second advertisement if a plurality ofpre-determined criteria are met.

Embodiments of the present invention provide various advantages, such asnovel advertisement pricing methodologies, advertisement time slotpurchasing options, and targeted advertising methodologies. Embodimentsof the present invention provide methods of effective advertisingmanagement and targeting that ensure that a particular demographic groupreceives the most appropriate materials.

Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention willbe set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part willbecome more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of thefollowing, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a exemplary hardware environment of the present invention inwhich a network provider responds to a request from an advertiser usingdata obtained from an interactive server;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of thepresent invention in which an advertiser desiring to replace a scheduledadvertisement contacts a network provider; and

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of thepresent invention in which an advertiser desiring to replace a scheduledadvertisement contacts a network provider and ultimately an interactiveserver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. Specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as abasis for the claims as a representative basis for teaching one skilledin the art to variously employ the present invention. Conventionalhardware and systems are shown in block diagram form and process stepsare shown in flowcharts.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate likeelements throughout the several figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplaryhardware environment in which programming content delivered in ascheduled lineup may be overridden by an advertiser desiring to pay apremium. FIG. 1 illustrates various system elements and subsystems thatcommunicate with each other to transmit collected data information anddata acknowledgments. The term scheduled is used herein to include thedelivery of advertising and content whereby a fixed array of contentprogramming is provided, and payments are made by advertising andcontent providers based upon that fixed array.

In one embodiment, a first advertiser 20 has a first advertisementalready inserted into a scheduled broadcast to be transmitted in thefuture. The first advertisement has been categorized as an overrideadvertisement, as discussed above. A second advertiser 22 has a secondadvertisement that is not yet inserted into any broadcast transmission,but desires to insert the second advertisement into the same broadcasttransmission as the first advertiser 20. A third advertiser 24 has athird advertisement already inserted into the same broadcasttransmission as the first advertiser 20. The third advertisement hasbeen categorized as a non-override advertisement, as will be discussedbelow. All three advertisers 20, 22, 24 are in communication with anetwork content provider 26 that controls the broadcast and manages theadvertisements.

The network content provider 26, responsible for providing a networkservice in which advertisements are broadcast to potential consumers,operates and maintains a system equipped to receive signals and othercontent from the advertisers 20, 22, 24. The network content provider 26may be any original or secondary source of network programmingincluding, for example, television, radio, Internet, or like digitalenvironment. Content providers 26 may broadcast directly to potentialconsumers, or alternatively, may broadcast to a provider that receivesand retransmits a broadcast to potential consumers. The advertisers 20,22, 24 furnish content originated by them to the network contentprovider 26 that incorporates that content into the network contentprovider's 26 broadcast.

The system of FIG. 1 comprises an interactive server 28 operable foradvertisement management. As is shown, the network content provider 26and the advertisers 20, 22, 24 are connected to the interactive server28 via the network content provider 26. The interactive server iscapable of managing advertisements, receiving requests, checking aplurality of pre-determined criteria, and responding to the requestsfrom the advertisers 20, 22, 24.

Signals containing requests and programming content furnished by theadvertisers 20, 22, 24 are sent via suitable communication paths tocontent provider 26 and ultimately to the interactive server 28comprising a processor for processing information. A provisioningtechnique available to an advertiser 22 with Internet access includes aWeb-based form of entry of advertisement information. Using such atechnique, an advertiser 22 using a browser running on a computer withan Internet connection accesses the interactive server and inputsrequests and receives responses. Requests may include specificinformation relating to a particular advertisement or time slot, such asoverride and non-override categorization, and the override option.Advertisement schedules, characteristics, identifiers, and pricing maybe stored in a database 30 of the interactive server 28. Each individualadvertisement may have an associated identifier 32 that is used toidentify the specific advertisement. The identifier 32 may includedescriptive information such as the time length of the advertisement andfile size. When a signal is received by the interactive server 28, theinteractive server 28 identifies the selected advertisement and mayinsert it into a program time slot using if a series of checkpoints arecompleted and approved, as discussed above.

The network content provider 26 is able to insert the advertisement,identified by the interactive server 28 using its identifier, into thebroadcast transmission 34. The primary functionality of the networkcontent provider 26 is provided by the interactive server 28, whichstores and manages the advertisements provided by the advertisers, andwhich responds to requests from the advertisers.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a provisioning method isprovided in which an advertiser may access the interactive server 28 andoverride a prescheduled advertisement based on monitoring and marketingtools. The monitoring and marketing tools provide data to an advertiserwhich aid in selecting the most desirable time slot for each particularadvertisement based on the data. Using data gathered regarding viewinghabits, such as set top boxes use for monitoring viewing habits andcollecting information, to distinguish more-valuable from less-valuableviewers, along with override and non-override categories, content andadvertisements may be matched with more-valuable and less-valuableviewer subsets.

FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of an advertising managementmethod in which an advertiser, by paying a premium, may replace ascheduled advertisement with a different advertisement. The methodincludes a first advertiser having a first advertisement that isscheduled to be broadcast at some time in the future (Block 40). Thefirst advertisement may be part of a group of advertisements which areshown at pre-determined times during a subject program. Typically, onehour of programming usually includes about sixteen minutes ofadvertising. Each advertisement corresponds with a time slot, and timeslots are grouped together to form a commercial break in the programmingschedule.

The present invention establishes a pricing methodology whereby anadvertisement categorized as override may be overridden, or replaced.When providing an advertisement to a network provider for broadcast, anadvertiser has the option of categorizing the advertisement as either anoverride or a non-override advertisement (Block 42), and paying acorresponding fee based on the category chosen. In an alternativeembodiment, a network provider may offer time slots that arepre-categorized as either override or non-override, and an advertisermay purchase a time slot based upon the desired category. Overrideableis hereby defined as capable of being replaced. Non-override is herebydefined as not capable of being replaced. An overrideable advertisementis an advertisement that may be broadcast, or, may be replaced by adifferent advertisement, either from the same or a different advertiser.A non-overrideable advertisement is an advertisement that will bebroadcast, and is not capable of being replaced.

In the preferred embodiment, an advertisement, or time slot, categorizedas override is priced at a lower cost than an advertisement, or timeslot, categorized as non-override, for the reason that an overrideadvertisement may not be broadcast if replaced. An advertiser may opt topurchase this advertising option due to its lower price. An advertisermay also opt to purchase the option based upon information that may leadthe advertiser to believe that their advertisement will most likely notbe overridden. The information may include such items as the time ofday, the day of the week, the program that the advertisement will beshown during, time slot demand, marketing tools, and previous advertiserreplacements. For example, if an advertiser has a limited advertisingbudget, the advertiser may opt to categorize his/her advertisement as anoverride advertisement based upon time slot demand and the past historyof replacements made during the desired time slot. In another example,if an advertiser has a very limited potential consumer audience thatalso coincides with a low-demand time slot, the advertiser may choosethe lower priced overrideable option to save money.

In the preferred embodiment, an advertisement, or time slot, categorizedas non-override is priced at a higher cost than an advertisement, ortime slot, categorized as override, for the reason that a non-overrideadvertisement will be broadcast and can not be replaced. An advertisermay opt to purchase this advertising option due to demand and projectedaudience value. An advertiser may also opt to purchase the option basedupon information that may lead the advertiser to believe that thegreater cost will lead to greater revenues. The information may includesuch items as the time of day, the day of the week, the program that theadvertisement will be shown during, time slot demand, marketing tools,and previous advertiser replacements.

In the preferred embodiment, an advertiser wishing to override the firstadvertisement with the second advertisement may be required to pay apremium. The amount of the premium may vary based upon the time slotdesired and the characteristics and content of the subject mattersurrounding the commercial break. For example, desired overrideadvertising time during a live one-time championship sporting event maybe priced at a much higher amount than override advertising time duringa regularly scheduled program due to the special nature of the program.

Network providers, such as television and radio, sell advertising spacebased on the length of time of an advertisement, the day of the week,the time of day, advertiser demand, and the type of program theadvertisement will be played during. Most television viewers watchtelevision during the prime-time viewing hours of about 7 pm to about 10pm, and network providers, therefore, charge higher rates during theseviewing hours due to advertiser demand. Internet network providers maysell advertising time based on file size and type, and may also set feesbased on the time of day, the day of the week, and specific programs.

Content delivered to a network content provider by an advertiserincludes advertisements relating to products, services, and events. Theadvertisements, in one example referred to as commercials, are played inbetween the subject potions of the network content providers program.Referring to television and radio broadcasts, advertisements range fromabout ten to about ninety seconds in length, and are grouped together aspre-selected breaks in the broadcast of the program, occurring every fewminutes of programming. The number of advertisements and the timingbetween the placement of the advertisements is dependent upon the typeof program (e.g., sporting event, sitcom, news program, or movie) andthe format of the program (e.g., live or pre-recorded). Television andradio programming, for example, typically include approximately sixteenminutes of advertisements during every hour of programming.

The method further includes a second advertiser, having a secondadvertisement, desiring the time slot occupied by the already scheduledfirst advertisement. The second advertiser then contacts the appropriatenetwork provider that is in charge of the scheduling of the desired timeslot, to inquire about overriding the first advertisement and replacingit with the second advertisement (Block 44). As stated above, only anadvertisement categorized as override is capable of being overridden.The network provider then informs the second advertiser of the categoryof the first advertisement or time slot (Block 46).

The network content provider (26, FIG. 1) checks the firstadvertisements category and may determine that the first advertisementis an override advertisement, in which case the second advertiser hasthe option of overriding, or replacing the first advertisement with asecond different advertisement. The network content provider 26 maydetermine that the first advertisement is a non-override advertisement,in which case the second advertiser is not able to replace the firstadvertisement and must either choose a new first advertisement or timeslot (Block 48), or opt not to proceed.

After the network content provider (26, FIG. 1) determines that thefirst advertisement is capable of being overridden, the network provider26 goes through a series of checkpoints (Block 50) to determine if thesecond advertisement may be inserted into the broadcast in the place ofthe first advertisement. A correct response to the series of checkpointswill lead to the replacement of the first advertisement with the secondadvertisement (Block 54). An incorrect response to the series ofcheckpoints leads to the advertiser having to choose an alternativesecond advertisement to be inserted (Block 52), or opting not toproceed.

The series of checkpoints may include the first and secondadvertisements lengths in time, the proper fees, technicalspecifications, and a search to determine when the last time that anadvertisement was broadcast relating to the same or similar typeproduct. The time length requirement is to ensure that the secondadvertisement is an appropriate fit and will not result in a disruptionin the broadcast transmission. The proper fees checkpoint is to ensurethat a premium has been paid, or will be paid, by the advertiser tooverride the first advertisement. Technical specifications may includesuch items as formatting and an appropriate amount of time necessary toimplement the change without a causing a disruption in the broadcasttransmission. Other technical specifications will be well-known to thoseof ordinary skill in the art.

To illustrate the series of checkpoints, for example, assume that anadvertiser of a sport-utility automobile desires to replace a firstsport-utility automobile advertisement, of a competitor, with a secondadvertisement. The advertisement substitution may involve the networkcontent provider (26, FIG. 1) and ultimately the interactive server (28,FIG. 1) running through a series of checkpoints to determine if asubstitution is possible and appropriate. The series may involveverifying that the first advertisement is indeed an advertisementcategorized as overrideable. Once verified, the network provider 26 maythen determine whether the second advertisement possesses the requiredcharacteristics in order to replace the first advertisement, such asequal or near in length time lengths and whether the secondadvertisement has been recorded in a compatible format with thescheduled broadcast. A further checkpoint may include a search by thenetwork provider 26 or interactive server 28 to determine when the lasttime an advertisement was broadcast relating to a sport-utility vehicle,or any vehicle, either by the same or different advertiser. The networkprovider 26 may opt not to replace the first advertisement if the secondadvertiser had a similar advertisement run in the recent past, such as aterm of a few hours.

Referring to FIG. 3, in an alternative embodiment, the pricingmethodology discussed above may include the interactive server (28,FIG. 1) operable for advertisement management. The method includes afirst advertiser having a first advertisement already inserted into ascheduled broadcast that will be transmitted in the future (Block 40,FIG. 2). The second advertiser having a second advertisement desires thespecific time slot occupied by the first advertisement. The secondadvertiser first contacts the network content provider (Block 60) andultimately the interactive server 28 of the network content provider(Block 62).

The interactive server 28 receives a request from the second advertiser22 regarding specifications and override options relating to the firstadvertisement. The interactive server 28 accesses and retrievesinformation from the database (Block 64). As stated above, only anadvertisement categorized as override is capable of being overridden.The interactive server 28 transmits the requested information to thesecond advertiser regarding the first advertisement, informationincluding categorization.

The network content provider (26, FIG. 1) checks the firstadvertisements category (Block 46, FIG. 2) and may determine that thefirst advertisement is an override advertisement, in which case thesecond advertiser has the option of overriding, or replacing the firstadvertisement with a second different advertisement. The network contentprovider 26 may determine that the first advertisement is a non-overrideadvertisement, in which case the second advertiser is not able toreplace the first advertisement and must either choose a new firstadvertisement or time slot (Block 66), or opt not to proceed.

After the interactive server 28 determines that the first advertisementis capable of being overridden, the interactive server 28 runs through aseries of checkpoints (Block 68) to determine if the secondadvertisement may be inserted into the broadcast in the place of thefirst advertisement. A correct response to the series of checkpointswill lead to the replacement of the first advertisement with the secondadvertisement (Block 70). An incorrect response to the series ofcheckpoints leads to the advertiser having to choose an alternativesecond advertisement to be inserted (Block 72), or opting not toproceed.

As stated above, the series of checkpoints may include the first andsecond advertisements lengths in time, the proper fees, technicalspecifications, and a search to determine when the last time that anadvertisement was broadcast relating to the same or similar typeproduct. The time length requirement is to ensure that the secondadvertisement is an appropriate fit and will not result in a disruptionin the broadcast transmission. The proper fees checkpoint is to ensurethat a premium has been paid, or will be paid, by the advertiser tooverride the first advertisement. Technical specifications may includesuch items as formatting and an appropriate amount of time necessary toimplement the change without a causing a disruption in the broadcasttransmission. Other technical specifications will be well-known to thoseof ordinary skill in the art.

In one embodiment, the present invention may acquire data used to selecta desired advertising time slot based on a demographics and programmingratings collection and analysis system, as is well known in the art. Theratings collection and analysis systems may track program viewingactivities by sampling a plurality of households and estimating thenumber of viewers of the programs using viewing activity data, focusgroups that study the effectiveness of different types advertisements,and product sales reports. Using data gathering technology to identifyvaluable viewers, override and non-override advertisements may bematched to correspond with most-valuable and least-valuable viewersubsets. In one embodiment, a processor determines valuable viewersubsets by collecting information to create a log about all events orselected events of interest viewed by potential consumers. Othermarketing tools may be used to determine valuable viewer subsets, andthe information obtained using these marketing tools may aid anadvertiser in making decisions regarding when to override a scheduledadvertisement.

The systems and methods of the present invention may be employed for useInternet advertising management. In one embodiment, an Internet networkcontent provider may provide advertisements displayed as “pop-up”web-pages. A scheduled programmed first “pop-up” advertisement may bereplaced by a second advertisement in a similar manner as describedabove. Alternative embodiments may include replaceable advertisementsdisplayed on a web-page containing additional content unrelated to theproduct or service being displayed.

The systems and methods of the present invention may be employed for usein radio broadcasts. A scheduled first advertisement may be replaced bya second advertisement in a commercial break broadcast during a radioprogram, using the pricing methodology described above. In alternativeembodiments, the systems and methods of the present invention may beemployed in any additional field in which advertisements are broadcastto viewers.

The foregoing is provided to explain and disclose preferred embodimentsof the present invention, modifications to which may be made that stillfall within the following claims. For instance, the architecture andprogramming of the system may be modified. Or, a variety of differentmanufacturers' servers or databases may be configured in order toimplement the system. Further modifications and adaptations to thedescribed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art andmay be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the inventionand the following claims.

1. An advertisement management method, comprising: receiving programmingcontent delivered as a scheduled lineup having a scheduled advertisementinserted into a future advertisement time slot, the scheduled lineupbroadcasted in the future from a server to a subscriber's equipment;categorizing the scheduled advertisement as overrideable ornon-overrideable, the overrideable categorization allowing the scheduledadvertisement to be replaced with a different advertisement, and thenon-overrideable categorization not allowing replacement of thescheduled advertisement in the scheduled lineup, such that the scheduledadvertisement is broadcasted to the subscriber's equipment; receiving aweb-based form at the server comprising a request from an advertiser toreplace the scheduled advertisement in the scheduled lineup with thedifferent advertisement and a financial premium that the advertiser willpay to replace the scheduled advertisement with the differentadvertisement; when the scheduled advertisement is categorized asoverridable: determining the scheduled advertisement and the differentadvertisement are equal in time length; determining that the differentadvertisement has been recorded in a compatible format with thescheduled advertisement; searching to determine a time of broadcast of aprevious advertisement relating to a same type of product as thedifferent advertisement; when the previous advertisement was broadcastwithin two hours, then declining to replace the scheduled advertisementwith the different advertisement; accepting the financial premium fromthe advertiser; replacing the scheduled advertisement in the scheduledlineup with the different advertisement when the scheduled advertisementand the different advertisement are equal in time length, such that thedifferent advertisement is inserted into the scheduled lineup;broadcasting the scheduled lineup from the server to the subscriber'sequipment with the different advertisement replacing the scheduledadvertisement in the scheduled lineup; when the scheduled advertisementis categorized as non-overridable: declining the financial premium fromthe advertiser; declining to replace the scheduled advertisement in thescheduled lineup with the different advertisement; and broadcasting thescheduled advertisement in the scheduled lineup to the subscriber'sequipment.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisingpricing the overrideable advertisement time slot at a lower cost thanthe non-overrideable advertisement time slot.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising providing data regarding viewing habits thatdistinguishes more-valuable viewers from less-valuable viewers.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising matching advertisements with themore-valuable viewers and with the less-valuable viewers.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising at least one of broadcasting thescheduled lineup as a television broadcast, broadcasting the scheduledlineup as a radio broadcast, and broadcasting the scheduled lineup overa network.
 7. (canceled)
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprisingcreating a log of events viewed by potential consumers.
 9. (canceled)10. (canceled)
 11. (canceled)
 12. (canceled)
 13. (canceled) 14.(canceled)
 15. (canceled)
 16. (canceled)
 17. A system for managingadvertisement programming, comprising: an interactive servercommunicating with a database, the interactive server; receivingprogramming content delivered as a scheduled lineup having a scheduledadvertisement inserted into a future advertisement time slot, thescheduled lineup to be broadcasted in the future from the interactiveserver to a subscriber's equipment; categorizing the scheduledadvertisement as at least one of overrideable and non-overrideable, anoverrideable categorization allowing the scheduled advertisement to bereplaced in the scheduled lineup with a different advertisement, and anon-overrideable categorization not allowing replacement of thescheduled advertisement and allowing the scheduled advertisement to bebroadcast as scheduled; receiving a web-based form at the interactiveserver, the web-based form comprising a request from an advertiser toreplace the scheduled advertisement with the different advertisement anda financial premium that the advertiser will pay to replace thescheduled advertisement with the different advertisement; when thescheduled advertisement is categorized as overridable: determiningwhether the scheduled advertisement and the different advertisement areequal in time length; determining that the different advertisement hasbeen recorded in a compatible format with the scheduled lineupadvertisement; searching to determine a time of broadcast of a previousadvertisement relating to a same type of product as the differentadvertisement; when the previous advertisement was broadcast within twohours, then declining to replace the scheduled advertisement with thedifferent advertisement; accepting the financial premium from theadvertiser; replacing the scheduled advertisement in the scheduledlineup with the different advertisement when the scheduled advertisementand the different advertisement are equal in time length such that thedifferent advertisement is inserted into the scheduled lineup;broadcasting the scheduled lineup from the interactive server to thesubscriber's equipment with the different advertisement replacing thescheduled advertisement; when the scheduled advertisement is categorizedas non-overridable: declining the financial premium from the advertiser;declining to replace the scheduled advertisement in the scheduled lineupwith the different advertisement; and broadcasting the scheduledadvertisement in the scheduled lineup to the subscriber's equipment. 18.The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive server pre-categorizesthe scheduled advertisement time slot.
 19. The system of claim 17,further comprising a pricing scheme stored in the database that pricesthe overrideable categorization at a lower cost than thenon-overrideable categorization.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein theinteractive server provides data regarding viewing habits thatdistinguishes more-valuable viewers from less-valuable viewers.
 21. Amethod, comprising: receiving programming content at an interactiveserver delivered as a scheduled lineup having scheduled advertisementinserted into a future advertisement time slot, the scheduled lineupscheduled to be broadcast in the future to a subscriber's equipment;receiving advertisements from the advertisers and storing theadvertisements in memory of the server; categorizing each of theadvertisements as at least one of overrideable and non-overrideable, anoverrideable categorization allowing an advertisement to be replaced inthe scheduled lineup with a different advertisement upon payment of afinancial premium, and a non-overrideable categorization not allowingreplacement of the scheduled advertisement in the scheduled lineup;receiving an advertiser's request to replace the scheduled advertisementwith the different advertisement and the financial premium that theadvertiser will pay to replace the scheduled advertisement with thedifferent advertisement; determining the scheduled advertisement iscategorized as overrideable; replacing the scheduled advertisement inthe scheduled lineup with the different advertisement such that thedifferent advertisement is inserted into the scheduled lineup; andbroadcasting the scheduled lineup from the interactive server to thesubscriber's equipment with the different advertisement replacing thescheduled advertisement in the scheduled lineup.